Bi-monthly Report
Summary of Information on Jihadist Web Sites The First Half of April 2013
International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) $GGLWLRQDO,&7UHVRXUFHVDUHDYDLODEOHRQ,&7¶VZHEVLWH ZZZLFWRUJLO Highlights
This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the first half of April 2013. Following are the main points covered in the report: x Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri encourages mujahideen in all arenas of jihad, and urges Muslims to unite under the banner of monotheism and Islamic law. He warns France of the price it will pay for waging war in northern Mali. x The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq declares it has joined forces with the Al-Nusra Front in Syria, and that the united group will now be known as The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham. The leader of the Al-Nusra Front quickly disavows any ³XQLILFDWLRQ´, insisting that the Al-Nusra Front is loyal first and foremost to Al-Qaeda leader Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri. x Ahmad Farouq, who is responsible for Al-4DHGD¶VGD¶ZD[missionary efforts] in Pakistan, urges the Bengali people to oppose the Bangladeshi regime, because of its secular policies, which are eroding the FRXQWU\¶V,VODPLFLGHQWLW\ x Abdullah ibn Muhammad, who maintains respected, popular Facebook and Twitter accounts on jihadist strategic affairs, proposes a plan for liberating Palestine. x Abu Sufya al-Azdi Sa¶id al-Shihri, a prominent member of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), exhorts the Saudi Arabian people to revolt against the Saudi regime and oppose the presence of bases in Saudi Arabia from which drones are sent to attack Muslims in Yemen. x Ibrahim al-Rubaysh, the mufti of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), warns that Yemen will suffer if the government persists in refusing to sign a cease-fire agreement with AQAP. He urges Yemeni soldiers to desert the army, because of Table of Contents New Publications ...... 1 Ideology ...... 1 Strategy ...... 3 Guidebooks and Instruction Pamphlets ...... 5 Promoting the Myth of the Martyr ...... 5 Magazines ...... 7 Reports from the Field ...... 8 Afghanistan-Pakistan ...... 8 Iraq ...... 10 Al-Sham [The Levant] ...... 12 dŚĞůůĞŐĞĚDĞƌŐĞƌďĞƚǁĞĞŶƚŚĞ/ƐůĂŵŝĐ^ƚĂƚĞŽĨ/ƌĂƋĂŶĚ^LJƌŝĂ͛Ɛů-Nusra Front ...... 13 The Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip ...... 18 The Arabian Peninsula ...... 20 The Maghreb [North Africa] ...... 22 Mali ...... 24 Egypt ...... 26 Somalia ...... 28 The Caucasus ...... 30 China ...... 31 The West and Elsewhere ...... 31 Women and Jihad ...... 31 Miscellaneous ...... 32 Facebook and Twitter ...... 33 New Publications Ideology x The jihadist media institution Al-Sahab, a platform for Al-Qaeda, published a video clip WLWOHG ³On the Word of 0RQRWKHLVP´ E\ 6KHLNK $\PDQ DO-Zawahiri, the leader of Al- Qaeda. Al-Zawahiri began by warning France that it would pay a high price for waging war in northern Mali, just as the US had paid and was still paying for its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He called on Muslims in Mali to meet the Crusader onslaught with restraint. He then appealed to the residents of Syria, especially the mujahideen fighting there, to focus on establishing an Islamic theocracy based on monotheism [tawheed] and Islamic ODZ >VKDUL¶D@ Al-Zawahiri also shot arrows of criticism at ,UDQ¶V policy in the region, claiming that Iran was collaborating with the US and other enemies of Islam in an attempt to conquer Iraq, and with the Syrian regime in an attempt to quell the revolution there ± to no avail. Al-Zawahiri praised the mujahideen, chiefly the Islamic State of Iraq, for blocking an alleged American plan to divide Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. He told the Palestinians to take heart; thanks to the jihad being waged in Syria, their conquest of Jerusalem was drawing nigh. Al-Zawahiri exhorted Muslims in the arenas of jihad and other Arab countries to confront their enemies and unite under the banner of monotheism, and urged them to aspire to do the following: 1. Liberate all Muslim lands. 2. IPSRVHVKDUL¶DDQGUHMHFWDOORWKHUIRUPVRIJRYHUQPHQW 3. Halt the plunder of Muslim resources. 4. Help the Muslims who were rebelling against their leaders, ZLWK GD¶ZD DQG GHGLFDWLRQWRVKDUL¶D 5. Aid the downtrodden and disadvantaged peoples of the world. 6. Establish the caliphate. 7. Unite all Muslims around these goals. Al-Zawahiri addressed the situation in Egypt, insisting that he did not advocate revolution against President Morsi, but urged continued revolution in Egypt to effect real change.1 1https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 1 A banner advertising the video clip featuring Ayman al-Zawahiri x 6KHLNK $EX 6D¶DG DO-µ$PLOL SXEOLVKHG DQ DUWLFOH tiWOHG ³&DOOLQJ RQ 6ROGLHUV RI Jihadist Propaganda: Stay Where You Are, 5HWXUQWR 2 http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). For more information see http://www.ict.org.il/ResearchPublications/ICTCyberDeskReview/tabid/492/Articlsid/1187/currentpage /1/Default.aspx (English). 3http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 4https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 5https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 2 Strategy x The jihadist media institution Al-)DMU SXEOLVKHG ³7KH )LUVW 6WDJH RI WKH :DU´, which is Audio Statement No. 33 on LQWKHVHULHV³7KH7HUURULVP,QGXVWU\ $&RXUVHLQ6HFXULW\ DQG,QWHOOLJHQFH´, by erstwhile Al-Qaeda leader and strategist Abu Ubaydah Abdallah al- Adam.6 According to unconfirmed reports tweeted by two mujahideen on Twitter, al- Adam was killed by a US drone in northern Waziristan during the first half of April 2013.7 x During the first half of April 2013, Abdullah ibn Mohammed was asked why jihadist brigades shun political activity. Ibn Mohammed, who discusses strategy on his Twitter and Facebook accounts, focused his response on the circumstances under which a jihadist group does or does not succeed in entering the political arena. According to Ibn Mohammed, a jihadist group that wants to become involved in politics should choose a local, regional, or national arena in which it is recognized. Ibn Mohammed cited the case of Afghanistan as an example: When the West came to the aid of the mujahideen in an attempt to block Russia from invading Afhganistan, the mujahideen there began to flourish. A jihadist movement can also survive in a political arena by forming alliances; this, wrote Ibn Mohammed, is what happened during the rule of the Taliban. He added that governments that allow jihadist groups to participate in them were ultimately overthrown by international actors who objected to the jihadists, who perforce were also thus removed from government. The only way to jihadists could prevent international powers from objecting to their participation in government was by garnering both regional and local popular support. This was what Hamas had done to secure its rule in the Gaza Strip: It was supported by Iran, and was popular with the local masses. Although Hamas is loathed politically by some Arab and Western regimes, its success in eliciting the support of Iran has enabled it to survive politically. Moreover, Hamas has been successful in using its military victories as a springboard to political gain. Ibn Mohammed indicated that this strategy should be followed in Syria, too: Once the conflict there is over, he wrote, the jihadist movements must translate their military successes into political gains. Moreover, if they wish to survive, they must strengthen their ties with the people, thereby weakening the influence of the West.8 6https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 7 http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-6-173523-Al-Qaeda-intelligence-chief-killed-in- Waziristan-drone-attack (English). 8 http://twitmail.com/email/1073730258/64/%D9%83%D9%8A%D9%81- %D9%88%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%89-%D9%8A%D9%83%D9%88%D9%86- %D9%84%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AA- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A- %D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7- 3 x Popular strategist Abdullah Ibn Mohammed also penned a position paper about the liberation of Palestine. According to Ibn Mohammed, Israel is afraid that if the Syrian Army collapses, (1) jihadist groups will infiltrate the Golan Heights; and (2) a real alliance will form for the liberation of Palestine. He claimed that the jihadist brigades had attained the military capabilities of $VVDG¶V DUP\ DQG those of his allies from Iran, Lebanon, Iraq and of his Russian experts; consequently, they could also now form a military force to equal that of Israel which, after all, has had difficulty vanquishing Hamas. According to Ibn Mohammed, the fences it has built in the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights only prove that Israel is preparing for imminent war. He stressed that soon jihadist forces would see military success in the Golan Heights, and that this would ignite jihad in the entire region ± a scenario greatly feared by Israel. After LQVLVWLQJWKDW,VUDHO¶VHQHPLHVKDGLQFUHDVHGWKHLUVWUHQJWKIbn Mohammed listed the five arenas in which Israel would simultaneously be engaged in conflict in the future: the Golan Heights, southern Lebanon, the Jordan Valley, the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. The Golan Heights, southern Lebanon and the Jordan Valley would be the main theaters of conflict, he wrote, as it was through them that assistance and supplies would be transferred to stoke the fighting in the worst case scenario. Their geographic proximity, he explained, would enable jihadist forces to break the Jews and then mass to form one front in the Galilee. The mountainous and forested terrain of this northern theaWHUZRXOGWKZDUW ,VUDHO¶VXVHRI ILJKWHUSODQHVDQGWDQNV HQDEOLQJWKHMLKDGLVWVWR VHFXUH WKHLU KROG RQ WKLV WHUULWRU\ 0HDQZKLOH VRPH RI ,VUDHO¶V WURRSV ZRXOG EH preoccupied in the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip. Ibn Mohammed stated that, feeling thus encircled, the Jews would try to forcibly evict the ³$UDEV RI ´ >WKRVH ZKR remained inside Israel after the 1948 war] and the West Bank. Ibn Mohammed noted WKDW ,VUDHO¶V QHHG WR VSUHDG LWV ILJKWLQJ IRUFHV from north to south and east to west would weaken it. He UHIHUUHGUHDGHUVWRDQDUWLFOHKHKDGZULWWHQWLWOHG³6WUDWHJLHVRI 5HJLRQDO:DU´in which he discussed the advantage of launching a war for the liberation of Palestine from Jordan.9 %D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%A7- %D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%9F (Arabic). 9 http://twitmail.com/email/1073730258/65/%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%AD- %D9%85%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1- %D9%81%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86 (Arabic). 4 Guidebooks and Instruction Pamphlets x A visitor to the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam posted link to a video clip explaining how to construct a grenade.10 The ease of making a grenade Promoting the Myth of the Martyr x A prominent woman contributor to the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam eulogized the martyr [shahid] Abdallah al-Balushi, who was killed in Syria during clashes with regime forces. She claimed that he was the third mujahid from the United Arab Emirates to have been killed in Syria.11 Abdallah al-Balushi, a citizen of the UAE martyred in Syria x A visitor to the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam reported the death of Muhammad Abd al-Khaleq (aka Abu Yahya al-Masri), who was killed in Syria on March 20, 2013. Al- Halaq initially joined the ranks of the Islamist Ahrar Al-Sham, but later fought with the Al-Nusra Front, and even helped established its brigade in the vicinity of Hamat. In 10https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 11https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 5 addition to this brief biography, al-+DODT¶V will was published; it describes the psychological stresses of fulfilling the commandment of jihad.12 Abu Yaha al-Masri, who died fighting the regime in Syria x A visitor to the jihadist Web forum Al-Fida published a biography of Bilal al-Berjawi al- Lubnani (aka Abu Hafs Dujannah), the IRXUWKLQDQXQRIILFLDOVHULHVWLWOHG³%LRJUDSKLHV RI 0DUW\UV LQ (DVW $IULFD´ $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH ELRJUDSK\ 'XMDQQDK MRLQed Al-Shabab Al- Mujahideen in Somalia, and later went to England to raise funds for the group. Although British intelligence services had him under surveillance, in 2009 he managed to evade them and return to Somalia by a circuitous route that traversed several countries. Dujannah was ultimately killed in Somalia by a drone, while he was driving a car and talking on his mobile phone.13 The biography did not state the date of his death, but according to Western sources, Dujannah was killed in the suburbs of Mogadishu on January 22, 2013.14 In praise of the martyr Abu Hafs Dujannah, who fought with Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen 12https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 13http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 14http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/22/british-al-qaida-suspect-drone-somalia (English). 6 Magazines x The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan published new issues of its magazines in Arabic, English, and Urdu: Issue No. 51 for March 2013 of the English-language magazine In Fight (22 pp.);15 Issue not 52, in Urdu, for April 2013 of Nawai Afghan Jihad (71 pp.);16 and Issue No. 13 of the Urdu-language magazine Shariat (52 pp.).17 The covers of the most recent issues of (from l. to r.) Nawai Afghan Jihad, In Fight, and Shariat x During the first half of April 2013, the Pakistan-Taliban published Issues Nos. 3-5 of Ihya-E-Khilafat [Revive the Caliphate], in Urdu.18 Pictured are the covers of Issues 3-5 of Ihya-E-Khilafat 15http://ansar1.info (English). 16http://nawaiafghan.blogspot.co.il (Urdu). 17http://theunjustmedia.com (English). 18http://ihyaekhilafat.blogspot.co.il (Urdu). 7 x Issue No. 4, numbering 676 pages, was published of Al-Qaeda Airlines, the majority of which is in Arabic. Like its predecessors, Issue No. 4 explains how to use unconventional weapons to attack the West. The current issue is actually a detailed, illustrated guide to the manufacture and use of hydrogen cyanide (aka Zyklon B), a chemical compound of hydrogen atoms and cyanogens that form the most familiar type of cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely poisonous; a concentration of 300 mg/m3 of it will kill an adult in less than an hour. According to Issue No. 4, hydrogen cyanide could be used to kill ³more than 300 Crusaders´, and could be deployed at crowded venues such as the New York City subway system or sent through the mail to high-ranking officials. Issue No. 4 is accompanied by an additional, 341-SDJH GRFXPHQW LQ (QJOLVK WLWOHG ³$ 7R[RORJLFDO 3URILOH IRU &\DQLGH´ ZKLFK ZDV originally published in 2004 by the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, and by five brief video clips that demonstrate how to make and use hydrogen cyanide.19 From Issue No. 4 of Al-Qaeda Airlines: How to send hydrogen cyanide into the New York City subway system (l.), and testing hydrogen cyanide on rabbits (r.) Reports from the Field Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions between the Pakistani and Afghani governments have increased in recent weeks, in part due to their divergent approaches to engaging in peace talks with the Taliban;20 each government accuses the other of provoking terrorism.21 Afghani leaders have blamed Islamabad for undermining peace talks with the Taliban, so as to increase 19https://shamikh1.info.vb (Arabic). 20 http://www.dw.de/tensions-rise-between-kabul-and-islamabad/a-16745062 (English). 21 http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/in-afghan-peace-the-pakistan-factor/article4607036.ece (English). 8 3DNLVWDQ¶V clout in Afghanistan.22 They also claim that, since 9/11, Pakistan has neglected to eliminate the terrorist sanctuaries that the Taliban blatantly use as a base from which to launch attacks in Afghanistan. In turn, 3DNLVWDQ¶V ,QWHU-Services Intelligence (ISI) has accused the Afghani government of strongly supporting anti-Pakistan terrorist groups, such as Tehrik-i-Taliban. In a recent attack that added fuel to this fire, Taliban militants stormed an Afghanistan Army outpost, killing over a dozen soldiers. According to analysts, the Taliban have intensified their attacks in an attempt to demonstrate their dominance ahead of national elections and the expected withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan in 2014.23 One of the arch-terrorists hiding in Pakistan is Al-Qaeda Emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. For the first time since November, al-Zawahiri released a video in which he discussed the state of jihad around the world, especially in Mali, Syria and Iraq. Al-=DZDKLUL¶VVWDWHPHQWVUHIOHFW his continuing prominence in Al-Qaeda.24 x TheUnjustMedia, a Web site affiliated with the Islamic State of Afghanistan, published a statistical abstract for March 2013 (22 pp.) summarizing all of its activities for that month, including the number of lives lost and the property damage sustained by it and its enemies; and a map of the areas in which attacks were perpetrated and their type. The site also published a four-page report of the alleged war crimes of the US, NATO, and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.25 The statistical abstract (l.) and report of alleged war crimes (r.) published by TheUnjustMedia 22 http://www.dw.de/tensions-rise-between-kabul-and-islamabad/a-16745062 (English). 23 http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-04-12/world/38474176_1_taliban-militants-taliban- spokesman-zabiullah-mujahid-afghan-army-outpost (English). 24 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/12/al-qaeda-comeback.html (English). 25 http://theunjustmedia.com (English). 9 x The jihadist media institution Al-Sahab, an Al-Qaeda platform, published an announcement addressed to the Bengali SHRSOH WLWOHG ³5HEHOOLRQ DJDLQVW $OOah in the /DQGRI+DML6KDULDWXOODK«"´. The announcement was written by Ahmad Farouq, who is responsible for Al-4DHGD¶VGD¶ZD>PLVVLRQDU\@HIIRUWVLQ3DNLVWDQ26 According to Farouq, Bangladesh is struggling to assert its Muslim identity, which is being challenged by the UHJLPH¶VVHFXODULVWSROLFLHV. The Bengali people must awaken from their indifference and physically fight the ruling party, just as renowned Bengali leaders Haju Shariatullah (1781-1840) and Titumir (1782-1832) led a popular religious rebellion against British colonialism. x During the first half of April 2013, the jihadist media institution Umar, an organ of the Pakistan-7DOLEDQ SXEOLVKHG D YLGHR FOLS WLWOHG ³7KH %ORZV RI WKH %HOLHYHUV ± No. 5: Victories and Actions of the Mujahideen in Mahsud´27 Iraq In a show of strength, terrorists launched a series of coordinated bombings across Iraq. The attack was emblematic of a surge in violence just days before local elections, which has been blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq (aka Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)).28 Much of the violence has targeted the Shi¶ites of Baghdad;29 it has included car bombings, the assassination of political candidates, and the bombing of schools that were to have served as polling stations.30 This spate of violence would seem to belie a reported improvement in ,UDT¶V VHFXULW\ situation since 2006-2007; indeed, according to the UN, the number of civilian casualties from terrorist attacks has increased since the withdrawal of US troops.31 Iraqi officials concur that the Islamic State of Iraq is gaining strength, and is increasingly coordinating its actions with its colleagues in Syria (such as the Al-Nusra Front). Collaboration between Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq and Syria, and the rampant lawlessness on the Syria-Iraq border, have enabled terrorists to replenish their supplies of men and weapons. In fact, the Islamic State of Iraq recently announced that it had merged with the Al-Nusra Front, forming a group that was now calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and Al- Sham.32 26http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 27http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 28http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/world/middleeast/attackers-strike-across-iraq-as-elections- approach.html?_r=0 (English). 29 http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/15/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html (English). 30http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/world/middleeast/attackers-strike-across-iraq-as-elections- approach.html?_r=0 (English). 31 http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44588&Cr=iraq&Cr1 (English). 32 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/09/alqaida-iraq-admits-jabhat-alnusra (English). 10 x Jihadist Web forums such as Shumukh Al-Islam, Ansar Al-Mujahideen, and Al-Minbar Al- Tawhid wal-Jihad launched a virtual workshop to raise awareness that Abdallah Azzam al-Qahtani began a hunger strike on April 3, 2013. A Saudi Arabian, Al-Qahtani is awaiting execution in an Iraqi prison because of his affiliation with Islamic State of Iraq. He vowed to continue his hunger strike until (1) his case is re-examined by a just, international humanitarian legal tribunal; and (2) he is transferred to another prison, one that is under international regulation. Al-Qahtani whishes to be re-tried so he can prove his innocence.33 ³6DYH6DXGLQDWLRQDO$EGDOODK$]]DPDO-4DKWDQLIURPWKH6KL¶LWHSULVRQVRI,UDT´ x The Al-Haq Islamic Press Agency, which is affiliated with global jihad, reported the Iraqi government¶VLQWHQWLRQRIH[HFXWLQJ Manaf Abd al-Rahum al-Raqi, who is considered the ,VODPLF 6WDWH RI ,UDT¶V ³JRYHUQRU´ RI %DJKGDG 3URYLQFH DQG responsible for car bomb attacks on multiple Iraqi regime targets, including four government ministries.34 In the past, al-Rawi fought alongside Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. He was arrested by Iraqi security forces on March 11, 2010. Manaf Abd al-Rahim al-Rawi, who is reportedly awaiting execution by the Iraqi government 33http://www.alplatformmedia.com/vb (Arabic). 34https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 11 x On April 3, 2013, the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam published exclusive photographs of training for members of the Islamic State of Iraq.35 A training camp for members of the Islamic State of Iraq Al-Sham [The Levant] Seeking to capitalize on the success of the Al-Nusra Front in Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq recently announced a merger between the two groups. However, claiming he had not EHHQ³FRQVXOWHG´RQWKHPHUJHU$O-Nusra Front leader Abu Mohammed al-Joulani iterated his loyalty to Al-Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri.36 Analysts aver that his statement demonstrates the explicit affiliation of the Al-Nusra Front with Al-Qaeda, and its involvement in the efforts of global jihad. To illustrate: The Al-Nusra Front launches suicide bombings throughout Syria, particularly in Damascus; since early 2013, it has taken responsibility for 14 of 17 suicide attacks.37 Moreover, Western and Arab League nations have been stymied in their response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria by the Al-1XVUD)URQW¶Vincreasing influence there.38 Its success has attracted extremists from throughout the Arab world: It is thought that hundreds of Kuwaitis, Saudis, Tunisians, Jordanians and others are fighting the regime in Syria.39 x During the first half of April 2013, the Al-Nusra Front, Al-4DHGD¶VDUPLQ6\ULDSXEOLVKHG Announcements Nos. 285-297 taking responsibility for attacks against Syrian regime forces.40 x During the first half of April 2013, visitors to the jihadist Web forum Ansar Al- Mujahideen posted photographs of Salafi-jihadists in Jordan demonstrating to demand WKDW WKH JRYHUQPHQW ³release SULVRQHUV´ within 30 days. Among the prisoners are mujahideen who were arrested en route to Syria, and Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, the 35https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 36 http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/12/al-qaeda-comeback.html (English). 37 http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2013/04/suicide_bomber_kills_77.php (English). 38 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/09/alqaida-iraq-admits-jabhat-alnusra (English). 39http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Commentary/2013/Apr-16/213871-jihadists-thrive-in-syrias- chaos.ashx#axzz2R6HNmvgq (English). 40http://jalnosra.com/vb (Arabic). 12 spiritual father of -RUGDQ¶V Salafi-jihadist movement. It is notable that Salafi-jihadist leader Abu Sayyaf al-µ8UGXQL was among the demonstrators.41 ǯ-Nusra Front x On April 9, 2013, Al-Furqan, the media arm of the Islamic State of Iraq, published an audio statement by its emir Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Husseini al-Qureishi al-Baghdadi, titled ³7KH ,VODPLF 6WDWH RI ,UDT DQG $O-6KDP´ Al-Baghdadi declared that 6\ULD¶V Al-Nusra Front was in effect a branch of the Islamic State of Iraq, adding that the Al-1XVUD)URQW¶V current emir, Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Julani, had once (also) served under him as a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq. Following what he called the merger and unification of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front, these names were defunct, and the QHZJURXSZRXOGEHNQRZQDVWKH³,VODPLF6WDWHRI,UDTDQG$O-6KDP´42 One day after this festive announcement, on April 10, 2013, Al-Nusra Front Emir Sheikh Abu Muhammad al-Julani issued an audio statement of his own, disseminated by his JURXS¶V PHGLD DUP Al-Manara Al-Baydha. Al-Julani asserted his JURXS¶V oath of allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. He added that, while the Al-Nusra Front did indeed maintain close ties with the Islamic State of Iraq, which had provided it with financial and logistical assistance from the first days of the Syrian revolution, he himself had not been a party to the decision to unite the two groups; in fact, he had learned of the merger from the media. He reiterated that the Al-Nusra Front had not changed its banner, had not been subsumed under the Islamic State of Iraq, and only answered to Ayman al-Zawahiri.43 Al--XODQL¶V comments suggest growing tension between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Al-Nusra Front. It appears that al-Julani wishes to maintain the independence of the Al- Nusra Front, which he does not wish to be identified with, let alone subservient to, the Islamic State of Iraq, for two reasons: (1) The Islamic State of Iraq has a bad reputation for killing innocent Muslim civilians; affiliation with it could tarnish the positive reputation that al-Julani has painstakingly cultivated for the Al-Nusra Front among 6\ULD¶V citizens; and (2) as an independent leader of jihad, Al-Julani aspires to earn ³EURZQLHSRLQWV´IURP$\PDQDO-Zawahiri ± esteem that can be translated into financial assistance. 41http://www.as-ansar.com/vb; http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=myK3S04DLUI#t=0s; http://www.alsharq.net.sa/2013/04/10/797413 (all in Arabic). 42https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 43http://jalnosra.com/vb (Arabic). 13 For his part, it is possible that al-Baghdadi had equally good reasons for hastily declaring the merger: (1) He wished to appropriate the Al-1XVUD)URQW¶VVXFFHVV in Syria, thereby burnishing the reputation of the Islamic State of Iraq DPRQJ,UDT¶V6XQQLV (2) he was concerned that the meteoric rise of the Al-Nusra Front would come at the expense of the Islamic State of Iraq. In other words, al-Baghdadi may have had a personal wish to consolidate his own power and slow or halt the growth of the Al-Nusra Front. He may also have hoped that the merger would attract additional volunteers for the jihad in Iraqi, ZKR ZHUH RWKHUZLVH EHLQJ ³VLSKRQHG RII´ E\ WKH FRQIOLFW LQ Syria, which had become a very attractive destination for Sunnis from all over the world. In any case, the incident reveals the tension between these two key jihadist groups ± which nevertheless tread lightly, treating each other with deference and, at least outwardly, displaying unity of the ranks. The contradictory declarations of al-Baghdadi and al-Julani in online jihadist discourse x These two divergent audio statements aroused a great deal of interest on the jihadist Web forums, and spurred lively discussion, which included the following: o A visitor to the jihadist Web forum Ansar Al-Mujahideen noted that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who headed the Islamic State of Iraq until he was killed by US forces in 2006, had also sworn allegiance to the previous leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, on April 10th. Other site visitors added that all leaders of jihadist movements were their leaders; anyone who thinks otherwise has no place among them on the field or on the Internet.44 o A visitor to the jihadist Web forum Hanein opined that the accusations hurled at the Islamic State of Iraq in the wake of its declaration of unification with the Al-Nusra Front had exceeded the limits of propriety. It is a complex time for Islam, he claimed, because despite the efforts and sacrifices of the few, the hypocritical public does not recognize its debt of gratitude to them. He admitted to not understanding the deliberate aggression against the Islamic State of Iraq; he defended the group by saying that, despite its pure intentions, it was not immune to error, as its members were only human. He was particularly riled by those who perceive the Islamic State of Iraq as no different from infidels like WKH 6KL¶LWHV ± indicative of a true rift, at least in 44http://www.as-ansar.com/vb; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMB6GMCN41g (both in Arabic). 14 certain branches of jihadism. He concluded his post by praising all of the jihadist groups, including Al-Qaeda.45 o Another Web surfer noted that Al-Nusra Front Emir Abu Muhammad al-Julani had wanted to delay announcing the merger of his group with the Islamic State of Iraq, but did not object to the merger. In response, another site visitor wrote of his belief that the two groups coordinated their actions. Still another Web surfer stated that perhaps WKH IRUPHU¶V opinion did not reflect the current state of relations between the two groups. In any case, he wrote, the revelation of the crisis between the two groups had generated a certain confusion in jihadist discourse.46 x In a position paper posted on the jihadist Web forum Hanein, a writer commented on the audio statement of Al-Nusra Front leader Abu Muhammad al-Julani, as follows: o 7KHJURXS¶VQDPH: The Al-Nusra Front was the first jihadist group to not have a ³WUDGLWLRQDO´ QDPH for example that includes key terms such as ³MLKDG´ ³WDZKHHG´ >PRQRWKHLVP@, or ³VKDUL¶D´ >,VODPLF ODZ@ +H WKHUHIRUH GHGXFHG WKDW while the group supports the establishment of an Islamic state, it chose a name that would boost its appeal to the masses, especially those vulnerable to the efforts of (Western and Eastern) media to cultivate a negative image for the group. Even so, he insisted, and despite its efforts to win hearts and minds, the Al-Nusra Front had only succeeded in cementing its status in Syria in part. o 7KH JURXS¶V EDQQHU: The banner of the Al-Nusra Front reads: ³There is no God EXW $OODK DQG 0XKDPPDG LV +LV PHVVHQJHU´; this is only natural for a jihadist group. Nevertheless, its banner differs from those of the Islamic State of Iraq, Ansar Al-Sharia in Yemen, and even Al-Qaeda Central. This may indicate a certain leaning toward separatism. Al-Julani himself referred to the differences among the banners, LQVLVWLQJ WKDW GHVSLWH KLV JURXS¶V UHVSHFW IRU WKH ,VODPLF State of Iraq, he had no desire to change the Al-1XVUD)URQW¶VEDQQHU The banner of the Al-Nusra Front (l.) and of Al-Qaeda (r.) 45http://www.hanein.info/vb (Arabic). 46http://www.hanein.info/vb (Arabic). 15 o 7KH JURXS¶V WDFWLFV: Although formed in proximity to the Islamic State of Iraq, the Al-Nusra Front shares only an ideology with it ± not tactics. While the Islamic State of Iraq has built up an aggressive image by publicizing its actions, some of which are extremely cruel, the Al-Nusra Front has preferred to invest time and HIIRUWLQZLQQLQJKHDUWVDQGPLQGV>GD¶ZD@The Al-Nusra Front has succeeded in this; save Iran, its ally Hezbollah, and Syrian regime forces, it has no enemies. The writer quoted al-Julani¶VVWDWHPHQWWKDWWKH$O-Nusra Front had learned from the experience of the Islamic State of Iraq, but it was no secret that the hearts of the believers in Al-Sham were with the Al-Nusra Front. o Coordination with other jihadist groups: ,QWKHZULWHU¶VDQDO\VLV, and as al-Julani strongly stressed, to establish an Islamic state, the jihadist movements must work together. To bolster his claim, the writer appended al-Julani¶VGLUHFWDSSHDO to the leaders of other jihadist groups, the people of Al-Sham, and Muslims everywhere ± which the writer saw as an expression of al--XODQL¶V SRVLWLYH approach to cooperation for the good of the Islamic State. o The oath of allegiance to Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri: Al-Julani was not careless in his statement; he reiterated his loyalty to al-Zawahiri in closing, as if to reassure his listeners. Moreover, the writer noted, al--XODQL¶V RDWK ZDV PRUH ideological than military one; after all, he wrote, it is the man on the front lines who must decide. x This position paper was roundly criticized by a different visitor to Hanein, who added several points of his own, which he felt the previous writer had neglected: o Demographics: While the Sunnis constitute no more than 40% of the population of Iraq, they comprise as much as 80 of the Muslim population of the Levant. This demographic difference is significant to understanding the differing percentages of support for the two groups. o Political reality: While the Islamic State of Iraq is fighting the American occupation, the Al-Nusra Front is fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The military prowess of these two enemies is not the same ± the US being much stronger than the Syrian regime. o The people: While the Al-Nusra Front is part of a popular rebellion, the Islamic State of Iraq is operating in a milieu of popular paralysis. Anyone who ignores these factors, he wrote, is not being fair in his analysis of reality.47 47http://www.hanein.info/vb (Arabic). 16 x The analyst and strategist Abdullah ibn Muhammad also discussed the rift between the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq. IQ D SRVLWLRQ SDSHU WLWOHG ³7KH 7UXWK EHKLQGWKH5LIWLQWKH/HDGHUVKLSRIWKH,VODPLF6WDWHRI,UDT´, Ibn Muhammad stressed that he was here expressing his personal opinion ± which is well known to the leaders of the mujahideen ± and was not writing as a strategist. Ibn Muhammad then stated his belief that it was the secret services that had fomented this rift between the Syrian and Iraqi branches of Al-Qaeda, in order to destroy the jihadist movements from within. This practice of infiltrating and distorting jihadist movements to destroy them, he wrote, could be illustrated by the case of Algeria. In the 1990s, French and Algerian state intelligence services had infiltrated the Algerian Salafi-jihadist group Al--DPD¶DK $O- Islamiyya Al-Musallaha, which was the largest such group in Algeria at the time. The secret services learned the movement ³LQVLGH RXW´ and thus paved the way for assassination of Al--DPD¶DK¶V leader and his replacement with Djamel Zitouni, who was an agent of the Algerian secret service (according to Ibn Muhammad). From the moment these intelligence agencies had succeeded in eliminating the mechanism of shura [a venerable Islamic tradition of making decisions by consensus] from Al--DPD¶DKmaking the rule of Zitouni absolute, the Salafi-jihadist movement fell into their hands like ripe fruit. According to Ibn Muhammad, Zitouni damaged Al--DPD¶DK¶V reputation so severely as to cause its former supporters to hate it. One of his more dastardly moves was his appeal to Abu Qatadah al-Filastini, the spiritual leader of Al--DPD¶DKDQGRWKHU Islamist groups, to issue fatwas [Islamic-legal rulings] permitting the killing of women and children who did not adhere to a radically fundamentalist Islam. According to Ibn Muhammad, it was Abu Musab al-Suri, a Syrian Islamist and editor of the magazine Al- Ansar, who came to reveal that Al--DPD¶DK¶V strange behavior was a result of its having been infiltrated. The infiltration was most successful, according to Ibn Muhammad, because WKH LQWHOOLJHQFH VHUYLFH¶V GLVWRUWLRQV aroused deep disgust and revulsion. A similar, if not more serious instance of such infiltration, could now be seen in Iraq, he claimed. After the assassination of a number of key leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq, including Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the JURXS¶V leadership began behaving in a way that both aroused enmity toward the Sunni militias, and that HYHQ VHUYHG 6KL¶LWHLQWHUHVWV Moreover, the Islamic State of Iraq had refused the advice of its members, even going so far as to remove anyone who did not completely share its goals. Ansar Al-Islam, which was known for its support of the Islamic State of Iraq, had complained to current Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri about ,UDTLJURXS¶V aggressive tactics. 17 Ibn Muhammad then revealed that in fact it was Ansar Al-Islam and the popular jihadist pundit Assad al-Jihad2 who had asked him to address this matter (apparently through Twitter and Facebook) ± in the hopes that it would stop the hard line tactics of the Islamic State of Iraq. Moreover, according to Ibn Muhammad, Ansar Al-Islam threatened that it would fight the Islamic State of Iraq if the latter did not cease its violent acts. Ibn Muhammad added that only after he and Assad al-Jihad2 had brought the matter to the attention of Al-Qaeda [Central] in Afghanistan had it become clear that the Islamic State of Iraq, with its organizational and Islamic-legal transgressions, was posing as an ³umbrella JURXS´DQGas the only legitimate jihadist group. Ibn Muhammad concluded by restating his conviction that this could only be the result of infiltration of the ranks of group by intelligence agents. He proposed that, to resolve the matter, the members of the Islamic State of Iraq should be questioned to reveal who had been responsible for [the incident of the merger]. Ibn Muhammad expressed his concern that the jihadist groups in Syria would be the next in line [to be targeted by intelligence agencies]. Their best defense, he wrote, was to maintain balance and integrity by following the principle of shura [consensus], according to which decisions are only made in consultation and by consensus. This, he wrote, protects groups from becoming prey to the despotism of one individual.48 The Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip x During the first half of April 2013, the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem published the following: o Announcement No. 33 taking responsibility for firing two missiles at the southern Israeli village of Nir Oz on April 2, 2013. The group claimed that it fired the PLVVLOHV LQ UHWDOLDWLRQ IRU WKH -HZV¶ deplorable treatment of the Muslims, as exemplified by their ignoring the deteriorating health of a Palestinian member of the Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades from Hebron, who was languishing in prison.49 48http://twishort.com/bcidc; http://www.ahewar.org/debat/show.art.asp?aid=93187; warning: may be difficult to watch! http://ar-ar.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=4460646672022; http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?373788- %D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%80%D9%80%D8%AC- %D9%88%D8%AB%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%80%D9%80%D8%A9- %D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B5-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D9%88- %D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%80%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86-)- %D9%85%D8%AA%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%AF-(-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B7- %D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%B4%D9%8A%D9%81(all in Arabic). 49https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 18 o Announcement No. 34 taking responsibility for firing three missiles at Kissufim.50 o Announcement No. 35, taking responsibility for firing six missiles at Sderot in southern Israel on April 3, 2013.51 o $Q RSLQLRQ SLHFH WLWOHG ³*XLGHOLQHV IRU 6DODI-Jihadists in the Environs of -HUXVDOHP´, by Sheikh Abu Billal al-Shami, a member of the JURXS¶V 6KDUL¶D [Islamic Law] Council. In the piece, al-Shami argues that the Hamas government is trying to cause a rift among Salafi-jihadists in the Gaza Strip, and counsels his readers how to counter these efforts and preserve unity in the ranks.52 The cover of Abu Bilal al-6KDPL¶V opinion piece x In early April 2013, both jihadist Web forums and individual Salafists attempted to raise consciousness about +DPDV¶ imprisonment of young Salafists. For example, The Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center reported that Salafists in a Hamas prison had begun a hunger strike on April 4, 2013 in protest against their being innocent of any infraction and having been unjustly arrested. It also reported that the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem had urged WKH³ZLVHmHQRI+DPDV´WRLQWHUYHQH and secure the SULVRQHUV¶ liberation.53 Also on April 4, 2013, the Committee of Families of Salafists Imprisoned by the Gaza Regime published an announcement demanding that the Hamas government immediately free their relatives, and criticizing the Palestinian media for not giving the issue a platform.54 Two days later, on April 6, 2013, families of the Salafist prisoners demonstrated near the Hamas prison in solidarity with their imprisoned relatives. A videotape of the demonstration was posted on various jihadist Web 50https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 51http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 52https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 53https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 54https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 19 forums.55 A prominent contributor to the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam posted a WKUHDG WLWOHG ³+DPDV DQG Its Strategic Error with Regard to the Salafists in the Gaza 6WULS´ The thread cited a series of grave policy errors ± including the lack of a clear SROLF\WRZDUGHYHQWVLQ6\ULD,UDQ¶VFRQWLQXHGVXSSRUWIRU+DPDVDQGWKHDUUHVWRIWKH Salafists ± which were diminishing the status of Hamas.56 An advertisement for the video clip of the demonstration of relatives of Salafists imprisoned by Hamas The Arabian Peninsula Calls for young Yemenis to fight alongside the Al-Nusra Front in Syria have drawn criticism from Yemeni officials and clerics, who fear that their eventual return to Yemen will destabilize the country, as was the case when mujahedeen returned from fighting in Afghanistan.57 Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) recently posted an audio statement by its deputy emir, Sa¶Ld al-Shihri, whose death had been reported in January. It was not clear when the message was recorded, but in the statement, al-Shihri comments on events that occurred after his alleged death.58 In Abyan Province, pro-government militias continued to clash with AQAP fighters.59 x During the first half of April 2013, the Al-Malahem media institution, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), published the following: 55https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 56https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 57 http://al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/meii/features/2013/04/05/feature-01 (English). 58http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gjF1vdbrmEO9wInvx_MY4fkfTIiQ?docId=CN G.c4eff9e2f2c1e3de9739407de5d03a48.51 (English). 59 http://www.longwarjournal.org/today-in/2013/04/pro-government_militias_captur.php (English). 20 o A video clip in which Sheikh Abu Sufyan al-$]GL6DL¶GDO-Shiri60 exhorts the Saudi Arabian people to rebel against the Saudi regime and oppose the establishment throughout the Kingdom of bases from which drones are launched against Muslims in Yemen. Al-Shihri also accuses the Saudi regime of exploiting the laws governing the war on terrorism to arrest thousands of Saudi citizens. Sheikh Abu Sufyan al-$]GL6DL¶GDO-Shiri o A video clip in which AQAP mufti Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaish complains that the Yemeni government has withdrawn its consent to sign a cease-fire agreement with AQAP. $GGUHVVLQJWKH VFKRODUV >XODPDD¶@ who had negotiated between the parties, he states that in order to arrive at a cease-fire agreement, the Yemeni regime will have to take responsibility for the bloodshed. AQAP wishes to impose IslamLF ODZ >VKDUL¶D@ LQ Ibrahim Suleiman al-Rubaish x On April 10, 2013, AQAP published a eulogy of Sheikh Awad Mohammad Banajar, a Yemeni scholar of Islamic law who was identified with, and had expressed his support 60https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 61https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 21 for, AQAP. Banajar was known to have urged Muslims to fulfill the commandment of jihad in Burma, Syria and Yemen. His death greatly moved both mujahideen and jihadist Web surfers.62 The late Sheikh Awad Mohammad Banajar (1946-2013) The Maghreb [North Africa] Tunisian authorities estimate that hundreds of young Tunisians have flocked to Syria in recent weeks to join the fight against the Assad regime. In response, the Tunisian government has taken steps to stem the flow of its citizens into the Levant.63 A prominent Tunisian Salafist who claims to have fought in Syria reported that some 3,500 Tunisians are fighting jihad in that country.64 European and North African government officials recently gathered to discuss regional security issues. In this context, the Tunisian government reported efforts to root out terrorists from the mountainous El Kef region that straddles Tunisia and Algeria. This was the first time that officials had announced joint operations by Tunisia and Algeria,65 which targeted radical Salafists and rebels who had actively recruited Tunisian youth to take up arms in Syria. Recent reports emanating from Algeria indicate that competition between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the Syrian Al-Nusra Front for North African recruits66 is causing friction between these two branches of Al-Qaeda Central for the first time ever.67 A VWDWHPHQWUHOHDVHGE\$4,0¶VRIILFLDOmedia institution, Al-Andalus, urged those determined to fight jihad to remain in the Maghreb rather than traveling to Syria. This suggests that 62https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 63 http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle-east/tunisia-struggles-to-stem-flow-of-fighters- abroad#page2 (English). 64 http://allafrica.com/stories/201304101097.html (English). 65 http://allafrica.com/stories/201304120068.html (English). 66 http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2013/04/12/feature-02 (English). 67 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/04/al-qaeda-maghreb-jihadists-syria.html (English). 22 AQIM is trying to make up for its heavy losses in Mali.68 One AQIM official even called the attempts of extremist networks to encourage jihadists from the Maghreb to go to Syria ³a French conspiracy´.69 According to a recent UN report, weapons from Libya ± including illicit shipments of light and heavy arms ± DUHIORZLQJLQWR1RUWK$IULFDDQGWKH0LGGOH(DVW³DWDQDODUPLQJUDWH´, where they are being used to fuel the fighting in Mali, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere,70 and are also falling into the hands of terrorist groups.71 x Sheikh Ahmad Abd al-Ilah, who oversees propaganda for the Al-Andalus media institution, the media arm of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), published an announcement on the Al-$QGDOXV7ZLWWHUIHHGWLWOHG³A &U\IURP%HKLQGWKH)HQFH«WR $OO)UHH3HRSOHRIWKH:RUOG´$FFRUGLQJWRDO-Ilah, the Algerian regime denies its people their right to freedom of speech. Although the Algerian people do hold protest rallies to express their dissatisfaction with the current situation, no one knows of these, because the Algerian regime is determined to prevent media pluralism and does not allow the use of the Internet in Algeria, thereby depriving its people of the tools to express themselves. Al-Ilah asked the free people of the world to pressure the Algerian regime to allow freedom of speech in Algeria.72 x A contributor to the jihadist Web forum Al-Fida posted a thread WLWOHG³$0HVVDJHWRWKH 5HEHOVLQ$OJHULD 5LJKWV0XVW%H6HL]HG7KH\$UH1RW*UDQWHG´ WKHWKUHDG was given SURPLQHQFHE\WKHIRUXP¶VDGPLQLVWUDWRUV+HGLVFXVVHGWKHdeepening dissatisfaction of $OJHULD¶V \RXQJ SHRSOH with the UHJLPH¶V discriminatory policies toward vulnerable populations ± a policy that is dividing Algerian society and immortalizing the poverty in which most Algerians live. He criticized existing class differences $OJHULD¶VUXOLQJXSSHU classes are composed of people in the oil and other businesses who are involved in politicsZKLOHWKHPDMRULW\RI$OJHULD¶VSHRSOHDUH oppressed, their money plundered by the regime, their freedom of speech denied. The writer warns that this reality is sowing bitter discontent among the FRXQWU\¶Vyoung people, who will one day rise up and topple 68 http://jihadology.net/2013/03/17/al-andalus-media-presents-a-new-statement-from-al-qaidah-in- the-islamic-maghrib-call-to-the-youth-of-islam-aspire-to-hijrah-in-the-way-of-god-in-the-islamic- maghrib-in-general-and-tunisia/; http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2013/04/04/feature-01 (both in English). 69 http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2013/04/al-qaeda-maghreb-jihadists-syria.html (English). 70 http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/04/10/egypt-major-recipient-of-illicit-libyan-weapons-un- report (English)./ 71 http://www.bdlive.co.za/africa/africannews/2013/04/11/libya-now-key-source-of-arms-for-conflicts (English). 72https://twitter.com/Andalus_Media/status/319864368324022272 (Arabic). 23 this pro-French, upper-class regime, and distribute oil and other resources fairly among the Algerian people.73 x A post that appeared on the jihadist Web forum Ansar Al-Mujahideen reviewed a sermon made in early April 2013 E\µ$OLLEQ+DMZKRLVFRQVLGHUHGWKH³QXPEHUWZRPDQ´in the Islamic Front for the Salvation of Algeria. Ibn +DM GHQRXQFHG ZKDW KH FDOOHG ³WKH LPSULVRQPHQWRIHYHU\\RXQJPDQ´ZKRis learned in religion. Did the regime intend to arrest anyone who saw himself as part of something larger than himself?, he asked. Would it arrest a citizen of the US? A citizen of any foreign country? He decried the welcome given to French President Francois Hollande during his visit to North Africa. France had treated Algeria tyrannically in the past, and was now interfering in the affairs RI³RXU0XVOLPEURWKHUV´ in Mali.74 Mali Three months after launching an offensive against Islamist rebels who had attempted to take the capital, Bamako, France has begun to withdraw its troops from Mali. The French government hopes to complete the pullout of its some 3,000 soldiers by the end of the year. It is also preparing to hand over control to a UN-mandated African force in the coming weeks,75 despite Western concerns that the African force is ill-prepared to fight the Islamist rebels.76 The start of the French withdrawal coincided with an announcement by Chad that its troops would be leaving Mali only days after a suicide bombing in the northern city of Kidal killed three Chadian soldiers.77 Although French, Chadian and Malian forces have succeeded in recapturing the capital and other cities in the north, jihadist rebels have regrouped in the mountains and desert, from which they continue to launch operations.78 In all, there have been eight suicide bombings throughout Mali since the start of the French-led offensive.79 Amid continued terrorist activity, France launched Operation Gustav to recapture the city of Gao, which is reportedly being used by AQIM-linked rebels as a logistics base,80 and 73http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 74 http://www.as-ansar.com/vb; http://www.fisdz.com; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLi- GUF13_I&feature=youtu.be (all in Arabic). 75 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/04/201349235234509911.html (English). 76 Ibid. 77 http://world.time.com/2013/04/15/chads-leader-troops-to-leave-mali-guerrilla-war/ (English). 78http://world.time.com/2013/04/15/chads-leader-troops-to-leave-mali-guerrilla- war/#ixzz2QdhNE7cs (English). 79http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat- matrix/archives/2013/04/chad_to_withdraw_combat_forces.php#ixzz2QdiFjsbq (English). 80http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hL39uaiELVO1c0WUsUFehEuoyoqA?docId=C NG.344ef14801dffb25860588b0a5ad7695.3f1 (English). 24 which has been the scene of suicide bombings and deadly confrontations between French forces and jihadists. For the first time since November, Al-Qaeda Central leader Ayman al-Zawahiri voiced his support for WKH ³0DJKUHE \RXWK´ ILJKWLQJ WKH )UHQFK81 According to analysts, al- =DZDKLUL¶V VWDWHPHQW was meant to boost the morale of Al-Qaeda leaders and fighters in Mali, whose numbers have dwindled since the French entered the West African country. x In an announcement that appeared on the jihadist Web forum Hanein in early April 2013, the head of the Islamic-Legal Council of Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in West Africa, Hamadah Ould Mohammed al-Khairi (aka al-4DTD¶D UHIXWHG UHSRUWV RI WKH GHDWK RI Mokhtar Belmokhtar, the leader of the Al-Mulathimun Brigades of AQIM. Al-Khairi also refuted similar reports regarding additional Al-Qaeda leaders, as well as Malian government claims that the Islamists fighting in the north of the country had sustained some 600 losses. When asked who was responsible for the fighting in Timbuktu and Gao, whether Al-Qaeda or Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, he resSRQGHGWKDW³WKHUHLVQRGLIIHUHQFH between the two groups but WKHLUQDPHV´However, al-Khairi admitted that the battle in Timbuktu was being waged by Al-Qaeda, while that in Gao was being waged by both Al- Tawhid wal-Jihad and the Al-Mulathimun Brigades.82 Hamadah Ould Mohammed al-Khairi x During the first half of April 2013, the Hanein jihadist Web forum featured a post reviewing the military actions of Al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in West Africa, a Salafi-jihadist group that is fighting French and African forces in northern Mali. According to the post, the group was responsible for the following: o Grad missile fire in the vicinity of the Gao airport. 81 http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2013/04/09/feature-03 (English). 82 http://www.hanein.info/vb; http://www.elhourriya.net/index.php/news/32629-mauritania.html (Arabic). 25 o Booby-trapped motorcycle attacks on Malian Army surveillance posts. o A suicide attack on a border post in Gao; one of the attackers detonated his bombs in a crowd of Malian soldiers. o The infiltration of three mujahideen into Gao. The mujahideen seized a police installation and held it for two days, during which they clashed with French and African forces. The mujahideen ultimately retreated and returned safely to their base. o Three consecutive nights of incessant Grad missile fire on Army bases near Gao. o A three-day battle in Gao which included attacks on 16 Army checkpoints and caused the death of many soldiers. The mujahideen seized control of areas of the city where various important government installations are located. In response, helicopters were called in, which decimated these installations and also the FLW\¶V market, sowing panic and rage among residents. o Removal of several land mines and blockades on roads leading from Gao to several other cities, including Ménaka and Kidal in the northeast. In the process, seveal cars owned by the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) were blown up and a number of fighters were killed.83 Egypt Egypt arrested four jihadists in Rafah who were in possession of automatic weapons, bombs, anti-aircraft shells, and blueprints of sensitive installations along the Gaza Strip border.84 This was the latest in a string of arrests of Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula. It came on the heels of a series of raids by Egyptian authorities, which uncovered caches of weapons that were believed to have originated in Libya and Iran. In a recent communiqué, Muhammad Jamal al-Kashef, who heads the Al-Qaeda-linked Nasr City terrorist cell, informed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri that KHKDGFUHDWHG³JURXSVIRUXVLQ6LQDL´.85 Palestinian terrorists from the Mujahideen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, took responsibility for launching three rockets 83http://www.hanein.info/vb (Arabic). 84http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat- matrix/archives/2013/04/four_suspected_jihadists_arres.php; http://www.timesofisrael.com/egypt- nabs-4-men-smuggling-arms-and-blueprints-into-gaza/ (both in English). 85 http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/04/four_suspected_jihadists_arres.php (English). 26 into southern Israel,86 purportedly in retaliation for the death of a Palestinian imprisoned in Israel. x During the first half of April 2013, the jihadist media institution Al-Farouq published the following: o A videotaped interview with Sheikh Muhammad al-Zawahiri, brother of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and a prominent Egyptian Salafi-jihadist in his own right.87 Muhammad al-Zawahiri discussed the Islamic revival that followed the Arab Spring, the Salafi-jihadist movement in Egypt, and the desire to establish an Islamic theocracy in Egypt. o $QDUWLFOHWLWOHG³:K\'LG$OODKCreate 6KDUL¶D >,VODPLF/DZ@"´E\6KHLNK.KDOHG al-Zumar.88 o An article by Sheikh Abu al-Tayyeb WLWOHG³Whosoever Seeks Heroism But Not for Islam ± $OODK :LOO +XPLOLDWH +LP´ 7KH DUWLFOH VWUHVVHV WKH imperative of remaining faithful to God and not imitating the ways of the infidel.89 x The Al-Bayyan media institution, which functions under the auspices of Ansar Al-Sharia, announced the launching of new series of SXEOLFDWLRQV WLWOHG ³7KH 7UDLWRUV 6PDOO- Minded PeopOH LQ WKH )LJKW DJDLQVW WKH 4XU¶DQ´ 7KH ILUVW installment in the series was about Abd al-Khaliq Sarwat Pasha (1873-1928), who headed the Egyptian government in 1927-1928.90 7KHFRYHURI³7KH7UDLWRUV´ 86 http://www.ibtimes.com/israel-launches-air-strike-gaza-after-palestinian-fire-crossfire-ends-four- months-old-truce-1167573 (English). 87https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 88https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 89https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 90http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 27 x On April 15, 2013, the Ansar Al-Mujahideen Web forum featured a SRVWE\'U7DULNµ$EG al-Halim, an Egyptian preacher and publicist influenced by the ideology of Islamist SKLORVRSKHUVVXFKDV6D\HG4XWERIWKH0XVOLP%URWKHUKRRGµ$EGDO-Halim denounced manifestations of secularism such as democracy, especially in Egypt, and urged Egyptians to follow the commandments of Allah and act ³LQWKHVSLULWRIWKH4XU¶DQ´ Tarik µ$EGDO-+DOLPLVWKHIDWKHURI6KDULIµ$EGDO-Halim, one of 18 members of Al-Qaeda who were sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in planning a series of attacks RQVLWHVLQVRXWKHUQ2QWDULR&DQDGD7DULNµ$EGDO-Halim has disavowed the ideology of Al-Qaeda, which he once GHILQHG DV ELG¶DK ± that is, an innovation, and therefore undesirable. $WWKHVDPHWLPH7DULNµ$EGal-Halim founded The Sunni Movement for the Salvation of Egypt, which promotes Islamism in Egypt.91 Dr. TDULNµ$EGDO-Halim denounces secularism Somalia Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, took responsibility for an attack on a Mogadishu courthouse that left over 30 people dead.92 The attack was the most severe Mogadishu had seen since Al-Shabab was driven out of the capital in 2011.93 Hours after the attack, a suicide car bomber crashed into a vehicle carrying Turkish citizens. Although reports indicated that all of the Al-Shabab assailants were killed, the attacks indicate that Al-Shabab is still capable of launching bold, well-coordinated assaults, despite diminishing territory and support.94 A day after the attack, an Al-Shabab spokesman warned: ³0RUH OHWKDO DWWDFNV DUH FRPLQJ´.95 Unsurprisingly, these events have elicited [foreign] travel warnings for Somalia. 91 http://www.as-ansar.com/vb; http://www.tariqabdelhaleem.com/new/Section-2; http://www.tariqabdelhaleem.com/new/DownloadList-24 (all in Arabic). 92 http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/us-somalia-blast-idUSBRE93E0IS20130415 (English). 93 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/14/somalia-supreme-court-attack-kills (English). 94 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/04/14/somalia-court-attack.html (English). 95http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/us-somalia-blast- idUSBRE93E0IS20130415http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/15/us-somalia-blast- idUSBRE93E0IS20130415 (English). 28 x The Al-Haq Press Agency, which is affiliated with global jihad, reported that intelligence agents of Al-Shabab Al-Mujahideen in Somalia had seized classified documents from the presidential palace in Mogadishu, and would gradually publish them on its Twitter feed. One of the seized documents indicates that Qatari intelligence forces had offered to head the Somali president¶V government intelligence forces.96 It is impossible to know whether this document is authentic and, hence, whether there is truth to the offer; however it appears the document was meant to tie the Qatari and Somali governments together as a ³common enemy´ RI $O-Shabab. In fact, recent years have seen close cooperation between the governments of Qatar and Somalia, primarily because Qatar wishes to increase its influence in the Horn of Africa. On April 3, 2013, the Muslim Youth Center ± an offshoot of Al-Shabab in Kenya ± praised WKH³LPSUHVVLYHLQWHOOLJHQFHDFKLHYHPHQW´RI$O-Shabab in obtaining the documents from the presidential palace in Mogadishu. The Muslim Youth Center, which officially joined Al- Shabab in February 2013, crowned the act D ³YLFWRUy for all of the mujahideen in East $IULFD´97 An alleged Qatari document addressed to the president of Somalia, which was published on a jihadist Web forum 96https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 97https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 29 The Caucasus Two suspected Chechen militants were among those detained in Turkey when police discovered an Al-Qaeda-linked plot to bomb the US Embassy and other targets in Ankara.98 During a raid on two terrorists cells in Istanbul and Corlu, police found explosives, laptops and other evidence of the plot. x The Web site Valiat Dagestan published a video clip of a mujahid named Abdoul Malik ar-5RXVLWLWOHG³7KH)XWXUHRI2QH:KR$EDQGRQV-LKDG´$EGRXO0DOLNDU-Rousi began by quoting scholars who claim that the infidel army has invaded Muslim territory, yet the Muslims do not oppose it, and so will be seen as having fled the battlefield; their future is to become infidels and sinners themselves. If you avoid fighting jihad, he said, you will feel the wrath of Allah; your life will be full of the sin that the infidel army has visited upon the mujahideen. Ar-Rousi cited Western television stations, advertisements for Western products, and Western culture as evidence of general heresy. When a Muslim who has not fought the infidel stands before Allah at the end of his life, he will receive no mercy, and will go straight to Hell. Any Muslim who hears these words but is unaffected by them, said Ar-Rousi, is not a WUXHEHOLHYHULQ$OODKDQGWKH4XU¶DQ ± or else does not understand the seriousness of Hell. Let that Muslim put his hand in fire to test how long he can stand the black flames that await him in Hell. He should return to the true path of Allah and court His mercy just as swiftly as he removed his hand from the fire! While he does not expect all Muslims to join the mujahideen in the forests, Ar-Rousi noted, he does expect them to support the mujahideen, each according to his ability, whether by donating supplies, food, or money. To HDUQ$OODK¶VPHUF\RQHPXVWPDNHD³KHUR¶VFRQWULEXWLRQ´± that is, to leave oneself MXVWZKDWRQHQHHGVWRH[LVWDQGGRQDWHWKHUHVWWRRQH¶V brothers who are fighting HYHU\RQH¶V war.99 x Valiat Dagestan published an article containing sayings of Osama bin Laden on a variety of topics. %LQ /DGHQ¶V FRPPHQWV ZHUH WUDQVODWHG LQWR Russian, for the benefit of the VLWH¶Vvisitors.100 x Jihadist Web sites in the Caucasus experienced yet another cyber attack in early April 2013. Unlike previous attacks, this one did not topple the sites completely but rather only blocked access to their servers, such that no one could update the sites. The only 98 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/world/europe/turkish-police-say-us-embassy-was-target-of- bomb-plot.html (English). 99 http://vdagestan.com/mudzhaxid-abdul-malik-ar-rusi-polozhenie-ostavlyayushhego-dzhixad.djihad (Russian). 100 http://vdagestan.com/obyasnenie-xadisa-kaaba-ibn-malika-da-budet-dovolen-im-allax.djihad (Russian). 30 portal that managed to publish an announcement to this effect was Valiat Dagestan, which stated that the reason for the blockage was unclear but that its best technological teams were working to resolve the problem.101 China x During the first half of April 2013, Sawt Al-Islam, a jihadist media institution affiliated with the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP), published a video clip of a sermon delivered by Sheikh Umran on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.102 The West and Elsewhere x Visitors to the jihadist Web forum Ansar Al-Mujahideen were asked to respond to a survey that was being conducted by a German news site, in which readers were asked whether Muslim holidays should be made official holidays in Germany. Visitors to jihadist Web sites were instructed how to access the survey, and how to respond to the survey (in the manner desired) even if they did not know German. Although the survey was not asking about a proposed law, its presence on the Internet indicates the currency of the topic ± as well as how easy it is to enlist the support of all sectors of the [virtual] Muslim community, for a variety of purposes.103 An illustrated guide to participating in a survey on a German-language Web site Women and Jihad x During the first half of April 2013, visitors to the jihadist Web forum Hanein discussed media reports that a renowned Saudi Arabian propagandist, Sheikh Muhammad al-µ$ULIL, had issued a fatwa [Islamic-legal ruling] permitting the wives of men fighting with the )UHH 6\ULDQ $UP\ WR PHHW WKHLU KXVEDQGV¶ VH[XDOQHHGV; he had reportedly called this 101http://vdagestan.com/obyavlenie-o-sajte.djihad (Russian). 102https://shamikh1.info/vb (Arabic). 103http://as-ansar.com/vb (Arabic). 31 ³jihad al-munakahah´ (Sex Jihad). Although several Tunisian women who returned from ³IXOILOOLQJ WKHLU REOLJDWLRQ´ LQ 6\ULD complained that they had gone there because they thought they were legally bound to do so to contribute to MLKDGIRU$OODK¶VVDNH, Al-µ$ULIL categorically denied ever issuing such a fatwa.104 x During the first half of April 2013, visitors to the jihadist Web forum Ansar Al- Mujahideen reported that Arqa Baghdadi had reached the mujahideen in Yemen (apparently members of Al-Qaeda). Baghdadi is a Saudi Arabian woman who was accused along with other members of her family of involvement in terrorism; she was recently released from jail on bail. During her incarceration, which has been described as unduly harsh, she raised her first-born toddler son, Usamah, and was pregnant with her second child. It had been Baghdadi¶V DVSLUDWLRQ WR join Al-Qaeda in Yemen; when she reached the mujahideen, she tweeted that ³the only boundaries were in the mind´. Apparently she was accompanied by several of her relatives, including her brother Anas, who had been in prison with her. Her husband, Yasin al-µ$PULLVVWLOOLQSULVRQ105 Miscellaneous x The jihadist propaganda group Masame Al-Khayr lil-Inshad, which publishes hymns in WKHVSLULWRIMLKDGSXEOLVKHGDQDOEXPRIK\PQVWLWOHG³7KH*RRG6RXOV± 3DUW´106 104http://www.hanein.info.vb; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kL2JpGlxG8 (both in Arabic). 105 http://www.as-ansar.com/vb/showthread.php?t=85888; http://barakish.net/news.aspx?cat=12&sub=11&id=47767; http://www.alkhabarnow.net/news/44807/2013/04/02/; http://twitmail.com/email/271871146/2/%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%A9- %D8%A3%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%89-%D8%A8%D8%BA%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A- %D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84-%D8%B0%D9%87%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86- %D8%A8%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A9 (all in Arabic). 106http://al-fidaa.com/vb (Arabic). 32 The Good Souls ± Part 5 x According to the administrator of the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam, it is now possible to view and upload forum content via smart phones.107 x The jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam announced that it was opening its doors to new members. To register, new members would have to commit themselves to actively participating in the forum, including posting at least 500 threads, and promise not to transfer their membership to anyone else.108 x A member of the jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam named Asem al-Somali, who participated in an online propaganda course sponsored by the forum, posted aerial photographs that allegedly showed a Mossad installation in Israel. According to Asem al- Somali, the highest priority should be given to turning Mossad installations into rubble, thereby paving the way to eradicating the Jews in Israel.109 The circled locations were alleged by Asem al-Somali to be Mossad installations Facebook and Twitter x During the first half of April 2013, important tweets appeared in the Twitter account of Abu al-+DZUD¶DO-Ansari, the administrator of the popular jihadist Web forum Shumukh Al-Islam. These included the following comments in praise of jihad and the mujahideen: o ³7KHDFPHRI,VODPLVMLKDGRIWKHVSLULW± OHWXVILJKWOHVWZHORVHRXUVRXOV´ 107https://shumukh1.info.vb (Arabic). 108https://shumukh1.info.vb (Arabic). 109https://shumukh1.info.vb (Arabic). 33 o ³7KHUHLVEXWRQHVHQWHnce: Strengthen Allah in your hearts and [in the hearts of] WKHPXMDKLGHHQ´ o ³, VD\ WKDW WKH OHDWKHU RQ WKH VKRe of a mujahid who fights for Allah is more honorable, pure and clean than those who harm the mujahideen or cast aspersions on them behind their EDFNV«´ Al-Ansari also commented on the rift between Al-Qaeda¶V branches in Syria and Iraq (see the section on Al-Sham, above), and roundly denounced any expression of civil war within the ranks of Islam. In this context, he tweeted ³The mujahideen give what is dearest to them, while those who do nothing sit drinking coffee and talk of FLYLOZDU´His tweets are emblematic of the of waves of criticism that greeted the alleged unification of the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq this past March. In another tweet, al-Ansari clarified his attitude toward the ensuing rift: ³7KH,VODPLF6WDWHRI,UDTpersists: because it is made of WKHERGLHVRIWKHPDUW\UVDQGLVZDWHUHGE\WKHLUEORRG«´ Al-Ansari apparently also wrote a position paper on the rift between the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq, in which he stated that during a difficult time like the present, it cannot be helped that there are breaches in the ranks [of Islam]. He explained that although jihad is being fought staunchly around the world, it is best to maintain sangfroid, act in moderation, and follow the leaders of the jihadist project, who best know the path. There are many who would harm the mujahideen, he wrote, so readers should protect and defend them, as it is the mujahideen who are sacrificing their lives and property. In light of the flood of comments about the apparent rift, which overwhelmed the Internet in late March and early April, al-Ansari wrote that silence was best at present, given the dark circumstances confronting all participants in the jihadist project. Al-Ansari also used his Twitter feed to address the important matter of the terrorist attack in Boston. After the first reports were issued of bomb blasts at the end of the marathon route, al-Ansari had expressed hope that this was indeed the act of mujahideen. A short while after official authorization was received that the bombing was a terrorist attack perpetrated by two Chechens, al-Ansari tweeted that the attack showed WKH³VODYHVRIWKH FURVV´>WKH&KULVWLDQV@WKDWWKHVROGLHUVRI2VDPD>ELQ/DGHQ@would not remain indifferent [to] oppression, but would continue to lie in wait for all those who did evil in their eyes. Al- Ansari insisted that the attack was but the ³first shot´. Many of al-$QVDUL¶V 7ZLWWHU IHHG followers were happy to read this, and tweeted their responses ± including, for example, that the attack was not large or sophisticated enough to have been perpetrated by Al- Qaeda, and that it was likely the attacNKDGEHHQFRPPLWWHGE\D ³ORQHZROI´. Al-$QVDUL¶V followers tweeted their admiration for the Tsarnaev brothers who perpetrated the attack, 34 and urged support for them. In addition, photographs of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (19) began to appear on personal Twitter accounts.110 ']KRNKDU7VDUQDHY¶VSKRWRJUDSKDGRUQVDIDQ¶V7ZLWWHUIHHG x 2Q $SULO D QHZ )DFHERRN SDJH ZDV ODXQFKHG WLWOHG ³Conclave of Families of 6DODILVWVLQWKH*D]D5HJLPH¶V3ULVRQV´111 The page lists the names of Salafists who died while in Hamas prisons, as well as of Salafists currently alive in Hamas prisons. As of HDUO\$SULOWKHSDJHKDGUHFHLYHGPRUHWKDQ³OLNHV´ The banner for the new Facebook page 110 https://twitter.com/AbuHawra3Ansari; http://bit.ly/12ShWyh; http://justpaste.it/2ee6 (both in Arabic). 111 https://www.facebook.com/pages/%D8%AA%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9- %D8%A3%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A- %D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%- %D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A- %D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A9- %D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9/152550264913527 (Arabic). 35